Spring tension and roll adjusting mechanism for flaking machines



May 11, 1954 F. c. SIMON 2,373,244

SPRING TENSION AND ROLL ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR FLAKING MACHINES Filed April 22, 1952- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 11, 1954 F, c 5|MON 2,678,244

SPRING TENSION AND ROLL ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR FLAKING MACHINES Filed April 22, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WINV TOR. 70 f XZr/WV a.

Patented May 11 1954 UNITED sNT OFFICE SPRING TENSION AND ROLL ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR FLAKING MACHINES Forrest C. Simon, Piqua, Ohio, assignor to The French Oil Mill Machinery Company, Piqua,

Ohio

10 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in machines of the type including rolls yieldingly pressed toward each other and between which material may be passed for reducing the material to small particles or thin flakes. More specifically this invention relates to means for adjusting the pressure acting on the rolls and spacing the rolls relatively to each other to vary the size of material discharged from the rolls.

In machines of this type as heretofore commonly constructed, the rolls were pressed into contact with each other by heavy spring pressure, and consequently, when no material is passing between the rolls and the rolls are rotating they run face to face which sometimes damages the rolls. Furthermore, if a piece of tramp iron or other hard foreign material passes between the rolls, the rolls would be moved apart against the heavy spring pressure and would then come together, after the hard object had passed between the rolls, with such impact as to frequently damage the face of the rolls.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide means of improved construction for holding the rolls in spaced relation to each other to avoid damage to the rolls due to contact with each other. Another object is to provide means of this type which can be readily adjusted to vary the spacing between the rolls. A further object is to provide means of improved construction for varying the pressure of the springs acting on one of the rolls. A further object is to provide gage means of improved construction for determining the spacing of the rolls relatively to each other. Another object is toprovide gage means of improved construction for indicating the amount of spring pressure applied to the rolls.

Other objects-and advantages will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of the invention and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a machine embodying this invention and provided with a single pair of rolls. I I

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a yoke or bracket having adjustments embodying this invention applied thereto.

Fig. 3 is a vertical central sectional elevation thereof, on a still larger scale-thereof.

Fig.4 is a fragmentaryhorizontal sectional view thereof.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse section thereof, on line 5-5, Fig. 4.

In Fig. 1, I have shown by way of example an end view of a flaking machine which includes a single pair of rolls, but it wvill be obvious that my improvements may be applied to machines having any desired number of pairs of rolls. The machine shown is primarily intended for use in connection with the flaking of oil bearing materials so that such materials may be readily acted upon by solvents for extracting oil therefrom, but is not intended to limit this invention to machines of this type, since it will be evident that the improvements embodying this invention may be used for rolling machines for other purposes.

The machine has a bearing housing 6 at each end of the rolls in which the opposite end portions of the roll shafts 'i and 8 are journalled. Material. to be flaked or otherwise treated may be passed to the rolls 9 and iii shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 in any suitable manner, for example, by means of a feed device H, and !2 rep-- resents a box or housing in which gearing for driving the feed device may be mounted. Since both bearing housings are similar in construction, only one of these housings is shown.

Fig. i also shows bearing cages l4 and Q5 of the roll shafts i and 8, the bearing cage M being retained in the housing by means of a bearing cap iii rigidly secured to its housing so that the roll 9 and its shaft i rotate about a fixed axis. The roll it is adjustable relatively to the roll 9 and is pressed toward the roll 9. The hearing cage is is slidably arranged in guides in the housing (i so as to move toward and from the bearing cage 54.

The means applying pressure-to the bearings of the roll shaft 8 includes brackets or yokes i8 rigidiy mounted on the bearing housings, only one of these yokes being shown in the drawings. This yoke or bracket may be suitably secured to the bearing housing .53 in any suitable manner, for by means 'of nuts 59 cooperating with the threaded ends of studs or bolts 26 suitably secured to the bearing housing .6.

Pressure is applied to the bearing cage by any suitable resilient means, such for example as a spring unit comprising a pair of coil springs 2 5- arranged one Within the other and bearing against a pressure distributing plate 25 suitably secured to the bearing cage 15. Springs of other types may be employed, if desired. The other end of the spring bears against a spring adjusting disk or plate 27.

The adjustment or spacing of the roll iii relatively to the roll 9 may be effectedby means of a roll adjusting screw 3% which may be connected 3 with the pressure distributing plate in any desired manner, so that the adjusting screw hold the distributing plate and the bearing in position to support the roll H3 in the desired spaced relation to the roll 9, and this connection must be such that the roll it can move in a direction away from the roll independently of the adjusting screw 30. In the construction shown by way of example, for this purpose, the screw 30 has a head 3! which cooperates with the pres sure distributing plate. The pressure distributing plate is provided with a hole or aperture 32 through which the body portion of the roll adjusting screw passes, and this hole or aperture 32 terminates in an enlarged bore 33, into which the head 3! of the roll adjusting screw extends. The head and the enlarged bore 33 are so proportioned as to allow clearance within the bore so that the plate 25 and bearing cage it may move lengthwise to a limited extent relatively to the head 3 l. The inner face of the head bears against a washer 34 interposed between the inner face of the head and the shoulder formed at the inner end or" the enlarged bore 33 and extending about the aperture 32. The spring 2 3 normally holds the shoulder and washer against the inner face of the head 3!.

The roll adjusting screw may be adjusted in the direction of its length to control the space between the two rolls 9 and It, and in the construction shown by way of example, for this purpose, a portion 45 of the adjusting screw is extericrly threaded and has a threaded connection with the bracket or yoke [8, preferably through the medium of an internally threaded flanged bushing 4|. The outer surface of the bushing is also threaded to cooperate with an internally screwthreaded axial bore in the bracket or yoke it. In order to adjust the roll adjusting screw in the direction or" its length, this screw may be provided with a removable head are in the form of a nut engaging threaded portion of the roll adjusting screw but held against turning relatively to the same in any suitable manner, for example, by means of a key 43. Consequently, the head 42 when turned by means of a wrench or other tool will impart rotation to the roll adjusting screw and thus determine the position of the pressure distributing plate 25, of the bearing cage I5 and the roll it. means of which the roll adjusting screw may be locked in the position into which it is set. The spring 24 holds the pressure distributing plate in engagement with the under face of the head of the screw so that when the pressure distributing plate is moved against the action of the spring, the space between the rolls 8 and ill will be increased and by turning the roll adjusting screw in the opposite direction, the distance between the rolls 9 and It will be decreased.

The pressure exerted by the spring 24 against the bearing cage l5 through the medium of the pressure distributing plate may be varied in any suitable or desired manner. In the construction shown by way of example, I have provided a spring adjusting screw 16 which is arranged in a hollow part of the roll adjusting screw. This hollow portion of the roll adjusting screw is internally screw-threaded to cooperate with the thread of the spring adjusting screw as. The roll adjusting screw is also provided through the threaded portion thereof and for a distance beyond the threaded portion with a diametrically extending slit 45 which divides this portion of the 44 represents a lock nut by roll adjusting screw into two substantially equal parts.

Movement of the spring adjusting screw 35 in the direction of its length may be transmitted to the spring adjusting plate 2? in any suitable or desired manner, and in the construction shown for this purpose, I have shown a spring adjusting block or spider 4'3 which is provided with an outer annular part 48, see particularly Fig. 5, which is arranged about the roll adjusting screw (it, and an inner part 49 arranged within the hollow portion of the roll adjusting screw and against which the spring adjusting screw 46 bears. The block or spider is provided with a pair or arc-shaped recesses 50 through which the two parts iii of the slitted portion of the roll adjusting screw passes, and with parts or legs 52 connecting the parts ,3 and 49 of the spider and extending through the slit 45. The outer annular part at or the adjusting block bears against the spring adjusting plate 2?, a washer 53 being preferably interposed between the adjusting block or spider and the dist; or plate 21. The outer end of the spring adjusting screw is preferably also provided with a head 5 which may be in the form of a nut rigidly secured to the outer end of the spring adjusting screw, for example, by means of a key 55 held in place by a set screw 55. Consequently, it will be evident that if the spring adjusting head 54 rotated for example by means of a wrench, the spring adjusting screw will be moved in the direction of its length because of its screw-threaded engagement with the roll adjusting screw, and this movement of the spring adjusting screw produces endwise movement of the adjusting block or spider 4'3, and thus adjusts the spring adjusting disk 21 for increasing or decreasing the pressure exerted on the spring 243.

By means of the construction described, the spacing of the roll [0 with relation to the roll :9 may be varied as desired by means of the adjusting screw 3% independently of any adjustment of the spring, and the spring pressure may also be adjusted by means of the spring adjusting screw 45 independently of the spacing of the rolls. When a hard object larger than the spacing between the rolls passes through the space between the rolls, the roll ii} may move away from the roll 9, because of the clearance between the head 3! of the roll adjusting screw and the bearing cage 15. When such hard object passes out of the space between the rolls, the resulting release of spring pressure will not force the movable roll [6 against the roll 9 for the reason that the movement of the roll it relatively to the roll 9 is limited by the connection between the roll adjusting screw and the bearing cage l5. Damage to the rolls from the impact of one roll against another can therefore, be entirely avoided by means of the construction described. Furthermore, when a hard object of this type passes between the rolls, the adjustment of the rolls relatively to each other is not changed.

It is desirable in connection with the mechanism described to provide means for accurately determining the spacing of the rolls from each other, and for this purpose, gage means may be mounted on the bearing bracket or yoke of each bearing housing. In the construction shown for this purpose, each yoke or bracket I8 is provided with an aperture extending through a portion of the same in the direction of movement of the bearing cage l5, and a rod 60 is slidably arranged in this opening. (represents an indicator of any well known or suitable type for measuring small distances and this indicator is mounted in fixed relation to the yoke or bracket. For example, the indicator may be provided with a stem 82 extending into a hole in the yoke or bracket and held in fixed position therein by means of a thumb screw 63. The rod 60 is provided with a sleeve 64 adjustable lengthwise of the rod, for example, by means of a threaded connection with the rod 60. When it is desired to determine the extent to which one end of the roll it is spaced from the roll 9, the roll adjusting screw 30 is first actuated to permit the roll it) to contact with the roll 9. The length of the rod to and its extension or sleeve 64 is thus adjusted so that the sleeve contacts the movable part of the indicator while the dial on the indicator reads zero. The roll adjusting screw 3% may then be turned to move the roll in outwardly away from the roll 9 until the indicator 6! indicates the desired spacing between the rolls. A similar operation must, of course, be made at the other end of the roll in on the other bearing housing so that the roll ill will lie parallel and in spaced relation to the roll 9 and at the desired distance therefrom. When the machine is operated, the indicator 6! should be removed from the yoke or bracket to prevent damage thereto in case a hard object passes between the rolls.

Means are also preferably provided for indicating the pressure of the spring 24 against the pressure distributing plate 25 and bearing cage E5. For this purpose, a pin 61 is secured to the spring adjusting plate or disk 21 and extends outwardly from the disk, for example, through a slot 68 in the bracket or yoke l8. An arm is rigidly secured to the pressure distributing plate 25 and a properly calibrated scale iii is mounted on the arm 69 in correct relation to the pin (ii. on this scale are indicated spring pressures corresponding to various positions occupied by the spring adjusting plate or disk 2? so that the spring pressures acting on the roll id may readily be determined.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts 7 which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention, as expressedin the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. in a machine including a bearing housing having, a movable roll bearing adjustable relatively'to stationary roll bearing that improve ment which includes a bracket fixed on said housing, a pressure distributing plate secured to said movable bearing, yielding means acting on said plate and urging said movable bearing toward said stationary bearing, an adjusting screw having a threaded connection with said bracket and connected with said plate to move said plate movable bearing away from said stationary bearing against the action of said yielding means, said plate being movable away from said stationary bearing independently of said adjusting screw, and means on said bracket for varying the pressure exerted by said yielding means against said plate.

2. Mechanism according to claim 1, in which said plate has a shoulder facing toward said movable bearing and engaged by a part of said adjusting screw, said plate having a clearance between said shoulder and said movable bearing which permits said plate to move in a direction away 6 from said stationary bearing independently of said screw.

3. Mechanism according to claim 1, in which said plate has an aperture terminating in an enlarged bore forming a shoulder facing said movable bearing, said screw having a head arranged in said bore and of smaller dimension lengthwise of said screw than the depth of said bore to form a clearance which permits movement of said movable bearing relatively to said screw in a direction away from said stationary bearing.

4. In a machine including a bearing housing having a movable roll bearing adjustable relatively'to a stationary roll bearing that improvement which includes a bracket fixed on said housing, a pressure distributing plate secured to said movable bearing, spring means bearing at one end on said plate, an adjusting screw having a threaded connection with said bracket and connected with said plate for locating said movable bearing in spaced relation to said stationary bearing and permitting movement of said movable bearing relatively to said adjusting screw in a direction away from said stationary bearing, a portion of said adjusting screw being hollow and internally screw-threaded and slit lengthwise, a second screw having external threads engaging the internal threads of said adjusting screw, a spring adjusting disk slidable lengthwise of said adjusting screw and engaging the other end of said spring means, and a connection between said second screw and said disk for varying the pressure exerted by said spring means against said plate and having a part within said bore of said adjusting screw against which said second screw bears, and a part extending through said slit of said adjusting screw through which pressure is exerted against said disk.

5. In a machine including a bearing housing having, a movable roll bearing adjustable relatively to a stationary roll bearing that improvement which includes a bracket fixed on said housing, a pressure distributing plate secured to said movable bearing, spring means bearing at one end on said plate, an adjusting screw having a threaded connection with said bracket and connected with said plate for locating said movable bearing in spaced relation to said stationary bearing and permitting movement of said movable bearing relatively to said adjusting screw in a direction away from said stationary bearing, a portion of said adjusting screw being hollow and internally screw-threaded and slit lengthwise, arsecond screw having external threads engaging the internal threads of said adjusting screw, and a spider having a part within said hollow portion of said adjusting screw against which said second screw bears, a part on the exterior of said adjusting screw which exerts pressure against the other end of said spring, means for varying the pressure exerted by said spring means against said plate, and legs extending through said slit of said adjusting screw and connecting said two parts of said spider.

.6. In a machine including a bearing housing having, a movable roll bearing adjustable relatively to a stationary roll bearing that improvement which includes a bracket fixed on said housing, a pressure distributing plate secured to said movable bearing, spring means bearing at one end on said plate, an adjusting screw having a threaded connection with said bracket and connected with said plate for locating said movable bearing in spaced relation to said stationary bearing and permitting movement of said movable bearing relatively to said adjusting screw in a direction away from said stationary bearing, a portion of said adjusting screw being hollow and internally screw-threaded and slit lengthwise, a second screw having external threads engaging the internal threads of said adjusting screw, a spring adjusting disk slidable lengthwise of said adjusting screw and engaging the other end of said spring means, a spider having a part within said hollow portion of said adjusting screw against which said second screw bears, a part on the exterior of said adjusting screw connected through said slit with said part within said adjusting screw and exerting pressure against said disk, and a friction reducing washer between said spider and said disk.

'7. In a machine including a bearing housing having a movable roll bearing adjustable relatively to a stationary roll bearing that improvement which includes a bracket fixed on said housing, means cooperating with said bracket for adjusting the position of said movable bearing relatively to said stationary bearing, said bracket having an aperture therein extending in the direction in which said movable bearing is movable, a feeler gage removably mounted on said bracket, a rod extending through said aperture and contacting at one end on said movable bearing and at the other end on said gage, and means for adjusting the length of said rod, whereby the spac ing of the movable r011 relatively to the stationary roll can be determined.

8. In a machine including a bearing housing having, a movable roll bearing adjustable relatively to a stationary roll bearing that improvement which includes a bracket fixed on said housing, a pressure distributing plate secured to said movable bearing, a spring reacting against said distributing plate for exerting pressure against said movable bearing toward said stationary bearing, a spring adjusting disk bearing on said spring, a spring adjusting screw cooperating with said bracket and said disk for moving said disk to vary the pressure, exerted by said spring against said movable bearing, a pin secured to said disk and extending outwardly to the exterior of said bracket, an arm secured to said pressure distributing plate and extending into proximity to said pin, and a scale mounted on said arm in proximity to said pin to indicate the position of said disk relatively to said movable bearing.

9. In a machine including a pair of rolls each having a shaft journalled at its ends in bearing housings, bearings for one roll shaft mounted in fixed relation to said bearing housings and bearings for the other r011 shaft movable toward and from the bearings for the first roll, that improvement which includes a bracket secured to a bearing housing adjacent to a movable bearing, a pressure distributing plate secured to said movable bearing and having an aperture therein terminating at the face of said plate adjacent to said bearing in a recess larger than said aperture, spring means bearing on said plate for urging said movable bearing toward said fixed bearing, and a screw having a threaded engagement with said bracket and extending through said aperture and having a head in said recess, said head being of less depth in the direction of the length of said screw than said recess, to permit movement of said plate lengthwise of said screw, said screw limiting the extent to Which said movable bearing may move toward said fixed bearing, to determine the space between said rolls.

10. In a machine including a pair of rolls each having a shaft journalled at its ends in bearing housings, bearings for one roll shaft mounted in fixed relation to said bearing housings and bearings for the other roll shaft movable toward and from the bearings for the first roll, that improvement which includes a bracket secured to a bearing housing adjacent to a movable bearing, a roll adjusting screw having a threaded connection with said bracket, and also having internal screw threads, a connection between said screw and said movable bearing for adjusting the roll journalled in said movable bearings in spaced relation to the roll mounted in said fixed bearings, spring means bearing against said movable bearings for yieldingly urging the same toward said stationary bearings, a screw arranged within said first mentioned screw and threaded to cooperate with the internal threads of said first mentioned screw,

, said first mentioned screw being provided with a substantially diametrical slit, and a spider engaging said spring means and having a part extending through said slit of said first mentioned screw into engagement with the second screw,

, whereby adjustment of said second screw varies the pressure exerted by said spring means on said movable bearings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 236,104 Stevens Dec. 28, 1880 240,282 Stevens Apr. 19, 1881 523,296 Townsend July 17, 1894 2,406,793 Benkoe Sept. 3, 1946 

